1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an illuminator, and more particularly, to a heat dissipator and an LED illuminator having the heat dissipator.
2. Related Art
In recent years, light-emitting-diode (LED) related technologies have been advanced greatly and are now much more mature than years ago. Because LEDs have low power consumption, long life, small volume, and fast response, they have been taking over traditional illuminators' market share gradually. However, the heat accumulation problem, which is one of the key factors affecting LEDs' life, remains. To resolve this problem, manufacturers are eager to develop heat dissipators and related products for LEDs.
Generally speaking, a conventional LED illuminator includes an aluminum-extruded heat dissipator and an LED illuminating module. The aluminum-extruded heat dissipator has a base plate and a plurality of fins extending upward from a side of the base plate. Each of the fins has a stripe shape and there is a heat-dissipating path between each two adjacent fins. The LED illuminating module is fixed on the base plate to conduct heat to the base plate.
However, conventional LED illuminators face the following problems. Each of the fins has a stripe shape, and hence has only a limited surface area to exchange heat with surrounding air. Furthermore, it's more likely that some wind directions will result in dead spaces. Because the base plate is closed, the air above and below the plate cannot exchange heat efficiently. In addition, when the LED illuminator is installed in an outdoor place, the upper surface of the base plate will accumulate mud and dust, which will negatively affect the heat-dissipating efficiency.